Dwyane Wade defends his 50/50 age with Gabrielle Union and reveals the shocking age he fell in love with her

Dwyane Wade had a crush on his wife Gabrielle Union from an early age.

Long before their love story began, the former NBA star was already in love with the actress as a boy growing up in Chicago after she rose to fame. While many NBA marriages are likely to follow certain conventional patterns, their union stands out not only because Union has already been successful, but additionally due to the non-traditional dynamic of their partnership.

In a candid interview on Angel Reese’s podcast “Unapologetically Angel,” Wade said: “My wife has been a star for a really very long time. I grew up as a horny little boy… I definitely had a crush on her after I was young.

He added: “For example, I’m from the Black community. This is Gabrielle Union.

For comparison: When Union played the role of Isis in the 2000 hit film “Bring It On,” Wade was an 18-year-old freshman at Marquette University.

Even before that, when she appeared on shows like “Moesha” and “Sister, Sister,” Wade was around 14 or 15 years old and watched her from afar. Little did he know that a few years later, Union would change into his wife.

While some may assume that Union’s established profession might pose challenges in their relationship, Wade sees it in a different way. He admitted that special effort needed to be put into it, but noted that the dynamics they’d built together worked to their advantage.

“It was an adjustment. It wasn’t easy and it is not easy for either side,” he said.

Union, as Wade described her on the podcast, is an “alpha” female. As a result, he often takes the lead. But Wade isn’t any stranger to this balance.

“You could see my personality, I can play with Shaq and LeBron. Me and Gab play together. We are partners. We’re teammates, so for me it’s just one other version of what happened,” he said.

Wade said learning when to step up and when to step back is crucial to their success.

“I have to learn when to lead and I have to learn when to follow… and a lot of men hear this and say, ‘What do you mean, follow your woman?’”

This approach led to one in all the most notorious elements of their marriage: a 50/50 financial split. This discovery sparked debates about gender roles and perceptions of masculinity in relationships. But Wade takes it calmly, confident in their arrangement and his identity.

“You know, you have to be really confident when you’re dealing with a woman who makes her own bread,” Reese said. “For example, he can hop on a (private jet) at any time when he wants. Like, she got their life, so you will have to be protected in what you do and how you progress.

A starring role in the estimated $40 million series “Being Mary Jane” gives their partnership financial strength. Wade said she often insists on dividing all the things equally.

“Sometimes he dominates me. He’ll swell up just a little and say, “I’ll pay… I’ll pay half.”

However, this isn’t at all times the case. There are also times when Union says, “You got it, big dog,” leaving him for all the things.

Union faced public criticism for her comments about halving household expenses. In 2023, she explained why she linked up with Wade, citing her desire to contribute relatively than rely solely on him.

In an interview with Bloomberg Originals’ Idea Generation, Union said: “It’s weird to say I’m the head of the family because in this household we split everything 50/50.”

Their 50/50 financial arrangement is not the only way their marriage defies tradition.

In the last ten years since they said “I do,” Wade and Union have built a blended family that seems to suit them.

Wade brought three children into the marriage – Zaire and Zaya (née Zion) from his previous relationship with Siohvaughn Funches, and Xavier, who was born during a brief separation from Union.

Another non-traditional aspect of their family life was the decision to make use of a surrogate to welcome their daughter, Kaavia James, also often called “Shady Baby,” in 2018.

The conversation with Reese reveals that Wade’s childhood dream has change into a reality – he spends his life with the woman he admired from afar as a young boy.